The Lucky 6th Birthday
by Starsights
Summary: When Rapunzel manages to escape the tower on her 6th Birthday, she discovers a stranger. Someone who she feels she is connected to in a way. (Not a one- shot anymore!)
1. Chapter 1: First Meeting

**A/N: Short fic, Enjoy!**

** I do not own Tangled or its characters.**

Little Rapunzel was five years old. Her hair was now the length of one wall to the other side of the tower and it was the day of her birthday, which meant another breathtaking view of the floating lights.

Mother Gothel also decided to do some gardening the same day. Knowing that her Rapunzel was far too young to know where the hidden passageway was to even follow her. Gothel came outside the tower at sunrise to make sure she finished early and because she knew Rapunzel was still asleep.

The garden was northeast of the tower and it had quite the distance. Taking a quick look back at the tower, Gothel hoped that her precious child would remain safe, then walked to the direction of the garden. The moment she turned her back from the tower, Rapunzel woke up and got herself dressed and bathed, she then made some breakfast.

Gothel always helped her do those things for she thought Rapunzel couldn't manage to do them by herself yet. But what Gothel didn't know was that Rapunzel was a clever one. Despite of her playfulness and hyperness, Rapunzel knew how to observe. Being in a tower alone with no one to talk or do anything with was quite dull for a free spirit such as her. So when Gothel lifted up a stone tile one day and went down the stairs, Rapunzel took note of this; since it might help her when the time comes.

Today was that time.

The curious child lifted up the stone tile and went down the stairs. It was one of the best decisions she has made in her lifetime. Rapunzel breathed in the fresh air and felt the grass beneath her feet. It was a relieving freedom; away from the walls of the tower and the other gray objects in it. Speechless, she ran as fast as she could. Feeling the wind blow her braided hair and the energy of new exploration redeem her.

Rapunzel headed past the vines that were blocking out some rays of sunshine and saw a whole new world. She could hear the birds chirp their melodies and see animals she has never seen before. Rapunzel kept running, her heart beating like a jack-rabbit, and her eyes focused to the obstacles.

Something in her mind told her that there was something beyond these wonders, something indescribable. Rapunzel followed her thoughts and kept running and dodging the trees. She felt no exhaustion, her lungs were not burning and gasping for air, her focus was on her destination.

After some time, the little girl eventually stopped when she reached a dirt road.

The sun was now high and it's rays were beating down on her. Only now did she feel exhaustion and the need for air and water. Rapunzel then went on the grass next to the road and laid down on her back and closed her eyes.

* * *

Hours passed...

Rapunzel reopened her eyes to the touch of cold water. How refreshing it was to her raspy throat and dry mouth...

Wait a second...

In panic, Rapunzel sat up and saw that she was facing a woman. Her sweet expression was now filled with anxiety as she saw the stranger; Mother Gothel had told her once that strangers were selfish people who wanted to cut off her hair and sell it.

She felt her hand check on her braid. It was still there...

"Darling? Are you okay?" asked a gentle voice.

Rapunzel looked at the woman as she met her gaze. She was beautiful indeed, she had a crown on her head, fair skin, slender, and had angelic locks of brown hair. The woman was like a princess in Rapunzel's fairytales that she kept in her bookshelf, except much more fascinating and sublime.

Then Rapunzel saw the eyes. An alluring shade of clear green that was releasing a pleasing aura of love, care, and joy. But... as Rapunzel looked deeper into them, she realized that they were familiar; a glance at them gave her a strong connection. It was as if she wanted to gaze at them forever and be smothered in their aura...

And she would have, if the woman had not spoken once more. "Darling? Are you okay?" she repeated.

"Yes ma'am, I just kind of got lost, that's all!" Rapunzel replied in her squeaky voice.

She beamed with relief with the reply. Oh how this girl reminded her so much of her own child...

_I wonder where she is now... I wonder if she's as sweet as this little girl in front of me is. _The woman thought.

"Do you know your way back home?"

Rapunzel's face then saddened. "No... I was just running so fast and... I lost my way"

Seeing the girl brokenhearted made the woman feel the same way in the inside. Would she have let her daughter be like this?

Absolutely not. She would've done everything to make her happy.

"I'm Queen Catherine by the way, but you can just call me Catherine; what's your name?"

"Rapunzel" the child replied, smiling from ear to ear.

* * *

**A/N: Yes I purposely left it as a cliffhanger. I will continue this story since many have requested so the idea is mine to keep now. Sorry guys! **


	2. Chapter 2: The Palace

**A/N: Many had asked me to continue this one shot story so I will ^_^ **

"Rapunzel?" Queen Catherine asked, wondering why someone would name their child after a vegtable. Although the name fit the girl quite well...

"So where are we going?" Rapunzel pondered while looking out the window of the carriage she was in.

"Well, I'm taking you to where I live. There are people there who can clean those scratches and wounds of yours"

Wounds? Scratches? Rapunzel looked at her arms and legs only to finally realize that she has hurt herself during her running. "Oops... I'm sorry to have to make you go through this ma'am..." she apologized and tilted her head down.

Kathrine gave a weak smile then raised Rapunzel's head gently with her hand. "It's alright my dear. I just want you to be healed"

Rapunzel listened to the queen obediently. This woman was so warm and loving towards her; even if she was just a mere stranger out on the road. The feelings she felt around Gothel weren't like this... this actually had true emotions in it...

_I like this lady!_ she beamed and smiled throughout the ride while looking out the window in awe.

Catherine couldn't help but watch the amused girl.

_She reminds me of me when I was a little girl. Just looking at everything outside the walls of her palace when she found freedom. _

* * *

An hour passed. Catherine and Rapunzel both stepped out of the carriage. Rapunzel gazed at her surroundings, the palace in front of her was colossal! Much, much bigger and intresting than her tower for sure!

"Thank you sire" Catherine said to the coach.

"Anything for you your majesty" he replied then rode off

"Come now Rapunzel"

At the mention of her name, Rapunzel faced Catherine and held her hand. Catherine led the girl through the main hall, then reached what they called "The Passing Hall" since there were four halls that everyone in the palace goes through every day.

When the people caught sight of Catherine, they stopped in their tracks and bowed while saying "Your majesty" as she and Rapunzel passed.

Poor Rapunzel was in pure histeria! Here where all these people dressed in gowns and suits with lavish jewels and styled hair while in the middle of it was her. Dressed in an ordinary maiden dress Gothel had sewn from scratch with her extensive golden hair in a braid adorned with tiny daisies she had picked.

And the worst part was...

She had NO shoes.

Rapunzel hadn't felt so misplaced in her life! Thank goodness Catherine left the room quickly!

When they reached the physcian's office, he bowed at the queen's presence. "Your majesty! This is well... unexpected!" he babbled. It's been forever since the queen came into his office for something, the last time was when she was pregnant and that was only five years ago.

"I'm afraid I'm not here for a test Charles... although I found this wounded girl that needs to be aided"

Charles turned his attention to the small child next to the queen. He swore that he nearly got a heart attack at the sight of the girl. She was a spitting image of Catherine- aside from the blonde hair of course.

The queen caught sight of his bewildered expression in a blink of an eye. "Is... something wrong?" she asked

"No your majesty! It's just... don't you know this girl?" Charles sputtered

Catherine shook her head, "I just met her today. Do you know her?"

"Nope."

Truth was, Charles had the feeling this was more than just an "ordinary" girl that the queen took in her hospitality. The child seemed like a ghost... the lost spirit of a once beloved figure in the kingdom.

Could it be...?

The Lost Princess?

He observed her carefully. The girl's eyes were very clear to read. She was an energetic child, gleeful, and carefree. Much like the queen.

_No it can't be her! She was reported dead! _Charles thought to himself.

Then if she's dead... is this _really_ the Lost Princess?

_Gah! Keep it together old man... you've been working in this palace longer than anyone else... and you've certainly seen no ghost of a girl that looks exactly like the queen! Save for that one old coot that haunts the stables... but he died hundreds of years ago and he most definitely does not have a resemblance to the present queen. _

"I'll get some bandages. I'll be right back your majesty" he told her.

Catherine nodded. "Take your time"

With that, Charles went to the back door and began to dig out his needed supplies.

Rapunzel looked up at Catherine, who's attention quickly went to her. "What is it dear?"

"I know this is weird but... going through that one hall back there with all those people scared me... I felt so different from all of them. I'm just so plain and they're so sophisticated!"

_Woah that was one big word! I hope I used it right... I only got it from that one book after all..._

"You know to be honest... I too felt misplaced when I was first brought here to this palace. I knew no one nor did they know me. The only person I really trusted was my husband; King Leonard. But I got used to it, and I made friends along the way." Catherine explained in the most simplest form she can without using her usual high level of speech that a five year old couldn't comprehend.

"I wish I can make as many friends as you have around here. I don't have too many..." Rapunzel confessed, thinking of her animal friends back home.

"Well I'll tell you this. If there's one thing I've learned- It's to be grateful for what you have because sometimes too many is just not as fun as it is with just a few"

"Okay..." Rapunzel smiled as Catherine kissed her forehead. It was as if they've known each other forever, even though it's only been a few hours.

Charles then came back, with some medication and bandages. He put some liquid on Rapunzel's scratches to help them heal faster and Catherine helped fight back her tears from the sting. After that, Charles put on the bandages as a finishing touch.

"There you go. Come back to me before you leave so we can change the bandages alright?"

"Okie dokie Mr Charlie!" she giggled.

Charles smiled at Rapunzel's enthusiasm.

_I wonder if the King and Queen's daughter would've been like this. Calling me Mr. Charlie. The name I haven't heard in ages... this strange girl is the sunshine that made this palace just a bit brighter. _

"Let's go now Rapunzel. Oh and thank you Charles" Catherine beamed before walking out the door.

_Seems like the Queen has found her dream child once more... They look so happy together now that I think about it._ Charles thought as he watched them leave.


	3. Chapter 3: The King of Corona

Queen Catherine led Rapunzel down through the elongated and twisting halls of the palace. Rapunzel of course fell in love with everything she saw, from the portraits, to the wallpaper, to the servants. Strangely enough, it seemed like this was all supposed to be normal to her. Although... this was her first time ever going in here-let alone even leaving her tower.

So how does her heart know that this is where she should be? She didn't know...

They stopped walking when they reached two towering doors with a sun emblem on them; with two guards on each side.

"Is the King available?" Catherine asked.

"Yes your majesty, although he has a meeting with an ambassador from Spain in twenty minutes. If you still want to go in there..." informed the guard on the left

"Alright we'll enter."

They opened the two doors for both of them, then closed the two once more after they entered. King Leonard was-as usual writing documents with a quill in hand, not even looking up to see his wife and a girl. Though he knew from Catherine's gentle footsteps that it was her.

"Yes Cat?" he asked, using the nickname they usually called each other when no one was around.

"Leo, if you can look up from your paperwork; I'd like you to meet Rapunzel. I found her during my ride around the usual trail"

Leonard did as his wife said. When he saw the girl, a smile formed on his face. He sensed the overwhelming aura of relief from the girl and he was almost crying.

Something inside him was brimming with indescribable mirth. Who was this rather familiar girl? A servant's daughter perhaps?

"Cat, what's her name?" he asked, still looking at the girl with intense curiousity.

"Rapunzel"

_Rapunzel...That's quite the peculiar name for such an angelic child such as this one. But who am I to judge?_ Leo thought

Though unable to resist his inner desires, the king embraced the unknown child.

Rapunzel flinched at first, but then suddenly felt the comfort of safety as the man hugged her. But how can it be? She has only met him two minutes ago, if not less.

"Leo..." Catherine said as her husband let go of the girl. Though to her surprise, he was crying when he looked at her.

"Sorry" he sniffled "I guess I got too carried away"

The queen gave him her signature laugh; one that sounded like a thousand petite bells ringing. It was a delightful yet rare sound to those around the palace, but it was a melody in the king's ears whenever he heard it.

Then, they both embraced Rapunzel; who loved every second of it.

**A/N: There will be a lot of short chapters posted today! Be alerted! XD**


	4. Chapter 4: Dancing

Outside the door to the king's office, Corona's ambassador: William Cartlehood approached the guards.

"Guard to the left" he said as the man perked up.

"Your grace! The king is in there right now with an audience so you can't enter" the guard informed as he bowed

"I'm not here to talk to the king. I'm here to ask about that commoner girl the queen brought into the palace. What is her name?" he whispered

"I erm..." the man stuttered and clutched his spear that he was holding "I can't say your grace. You know as well as we do that it is prohibited of us to speak of the conversations the king has with his audiences inside".

William then grabbed the collar of the guard and slammed him quietly on the wall across from him. "_What is her name?_" he gritted and tightened his grip around the neck of the man.

"R-Rapunzel" he choked silently.

The ambassador sneered at the name. Not because it was something off a vegetable, it was because he knew that name very well. "Have spies watch the girl and the queen closely. Then make them report to me their findings, this girl may as well be a threat" William commanded then let go of the guard's collar. "Do not speak of this to anyone else, or you will be a head shorter at sunset. Got that?"

"Yes your grace" the guard shuddered then returned to his guarding position with weak knees.

"Why didn't you help me!?" he raged at the guard standing at the right side of the door.

The guard didn't answer.

"Hello!?"

...

In outrage, the left guard thrust his spear through the right guard. Cotton fell from the side and the right guard face-palmed. "Why do I forget that everytime I guard around here!?" he muttered to himself then stood firmly outside the door once more, trying to forget the threat Ambassador William had given to him.

"Why do you have to be a mannequin?" he scoffed.

* * *

**In the Coronian Forests...**

"Yes, it's her. She's come to the palace with the queen" William whispered to his boss.

"That wretched child. How could I be so negligent?!" the hooded figure hissed "Find a way to get her away from Catherine and Leonard then bring her to me"

"Will do" he agreed and began to take his leave.

"Wait"

William turned around "Yes?"

The figure took a vile of purple liquid out of their cloak then handed it to him. "What is it?"

"Memory Gone potion, put a drop or two in the king and queen's drinks and make Rapunzel have a sip too before you take her back to me. It's so that none of them remember this ever happened"

William nodded and took the vile then placed it in his satchel. He hopped onto his horse then rode off back to Corona.

* * *

**Corona Palace...**

Catherine and Rapunzel entered the feasting room, where crowds of people bowed once more before continuing whatever they were doing.

"Shall we dance?" Catherine asked

"D-dance?" Rapunzel stuttered then looked to the dance circle taking place in front of her. "No thank you..."

At her hesitance, Catherine put on a concerned and confused expression. "Why not?" she questioned.

Rapunzel bit her lip and looked down at the ground, trying to avoid any eye contact with her. The reason why Rapunzel didn't want to dance was a rather bitter one, something she hasn't told anyone in her lifetime. But today is the day where she can finally open her deepest secret that Mother Gothel has forbidden her to speak of to anyone. Animal or person.

"I...I can't..." she whispered

"Oh nonsense! I can teach you to dance if you want"

"Thank you but I still can't..."

Now Catherine truly _was_ perplexed at her response. Everyone could dance if they wished, so what was stopping this child from doing so?

"Rapunzel...?"

She gestured for Catherine to come closer. And she did.

"My mother forbids me to dance... She says it brings bad luck" Rapunzel whispered

After what she heard, Catherine couldn't help but cast a frown. What kind of person forbids a young child such as Rapunzel to practice the graceful and significant art of dance? It was like a crime against one's will to live and to express their individuality to the world. But whatever reason it was, it wouldn't stop her from showing this naive and unknowing child the true beauty in life.

"Your mother is wrong dear... Dancing can bring the most inspiring and pleasing joy to people. It may even give good luck to some." she explained

Rapunzel analyzed all that in her head. Though she had no way of knowing Catherine was actually being honest to her, deep in her mind she knew it was. Rapunzel knows that Mother Gothel lies. She knows that she manipulates and afflicts pain to others. The girl was not blind.

This opened Rapunzel's thoughts to what other things Mother Gothel had said in the past, like "There are people out there who want to cut your hair! And I won't take that risk my flower".

_Cut my hair? I've been here for hours and no one has attempted to cut my hair! And why does she call me "flower" so often? _

Though back to Catherine's statement, Rapunzel decided that it was time to try new things.

"Your right" she agreed.

The queen now smiled. "Good, now shall we dance?"

They stepped into the middle as Catherine whispered "Just follow what I do"

It was simple enough.

Rapunzel danced the way Catherine did. To the eyes of others, it seemed as if they were twins reading each others' minds on what to do next. To some more observant people, they had realized that the two possessed quite the resemblance to each other.

Rapunzel twirled and set her steps as if she had already mastered them. Catherine herself was in awe of how stupendous the girl could dance even when she said she was forbidden to at home.

* * *

William eyed the two in complete disbelief.

_It's like I'm looking at the mirror image of Catherine! And it's nearly impossible to find a resemblance. Her beauty is sublime and a rarity to find amongst the common folk, she is the first-bloomed rose in the early dawn of spring mornings. Words are not enough to describe her personality, let alone those radiant green eyes that lure the demons into the light. She is none but an angel sent to Earth, a true diamond to find. _

"You'll be home soon little Rapunzel. Soon" he muttered under his breath. But before leaving, he took a last glance at his queen.

**A/N: I'll try to update as often as I can! Thanks for being patient! :) Oh and the Queen teaching Rapunzel how to dance was Tangled4ever's idea, credit goes to them for that! ;) (Give me any suggestions if you want and I _MAY_ use them if I like it)**


	5. Chapter 5: Birthday Revealed

**A/N: ****A/N: I am SO sorry for not updating sooner, I was just busy these two weeks. From Halloween to mountainloads of homework, _. I'm so sorry :(**

After a whole hour of dancing with the court, Catherine took Rapunzel to a room dear to her heart; The Princess's Nursery.

Even if her daughter hasn't returned for five years, Catherine and Leonard still made it seem like she was still there. Her crib was replaced with a bed on her fourth birthday, and there were toys and decorations all around the room. It gets cleaned every month and the toys are always arranged in different positions during then, it depended on the servants who loved to play around.

And in a velvet pouch was the Princess's crown. Catherine showed that to Rapunzel first as she took it out of its casing.

"This is the crown of the Lost Princess- my daughter in other words" she said as Rapunzel awed at the priceless possession.

"When is her birthday?" she asked in curiosity, turning her attention from the crown, to Catherine. Though as innocent as that question might've seemed to others, it pained the young queen to remember such a tragic event. All the pain and agony returned in a flash.

_"It was all my fault that she's gone!" _Catherine heard her younger voice cry. The face of the elderly woman at the balcony was still as clear as crystal to her, Catherine even swore that the vile scowl the elder gave was directed completely towards her and her only. Though as she looked into the soothing green tones of the child's pleading eyes, she knew that it would be all fine.

"Today's actually her birthday..." Catherine sighed then took closer looks at the crown. "I just wish... She could be here for that..."

"W-what happened to her?" Rapunzel whimpered.

The young queen closed her eyes slowly then re-opened them again. "She was kidnapped a few months after I gave birth to her..." she murmured "I miss her dearly...". A tear rolled down her eyes as Rapunzel felt guilty for making her companion cry. She then wiped the tear away, Catherine turned to her and saw her reassuring smile of comfort.

It was the first time someone else (other than her husband) has ever helped her overcome the matter in which no one understood. The palace servants and her own ladies-in-waiting were always so distant from being able to talk about something so excruciatingly painful. And here was this naive child helping fix what she thought was no longer fixable. Though both of them felt that they have gained each other's ultimate trust just by this simple act of love that no one has cared enough to show.

"Thank you..." Catherine whispered and embraced Rapunzel. She even put the crown on the girl's head. Something that hasn't been done for five years...

"Did you know that today is my birthday too?"

They both separated and Catherine gave an interested expression. "It is?"

Rapunzel nodded happily, "I guess it's just coincidence; but I'm happy I share a birthday with a princess!" she beamed "I didn't even know about her until now to be truthful".

"You didn't?"

"Nope"

"Fascinating... I don't know anyone who shares a birthday with my daughter... And I've asked many around this kingdom"

"What would be even more coincidental is if I looked _exactly_ like her!" Rapunzel joked.

_"If I looked exactly like her..." Why had I not noticed this before? Rapunzel looks almost like my daughter! I must ask deeper into this..._

"Most of the townspeople say my daughter has a strong resemblance to me, do you and your mother have a resemblance?" Catherine wondered.

At this, Rapunzel snickered "No way! Me and my Mother look _completely_ different! She has black hair and coal-black eyes and I have long blonde hair and green eyes. Mother says it's just because I'm young but I don't really agree. I mean who suddenly changes hair and eye color a year later?"

"Are you an orphan perhaps? Or do you have a father with that hair and eye color?"

"No, and Mother says that my father died when I was a baby so she had to take care of me all by herself"

"Interesting..." Catherine muttered.

* * *

Ambassador William entered the office of King Leonard, hoping to get some answers for his mission.

"Majesty" he said while bowing

"William, what may I be of service for you today?" Leonard asked as he noticed his ambasador enter.

"Your majesty, I came here to ask about that "common" girl her majesty has brought to court. Many have been wondering all day long about her identity and who she truly is. I've heard that you know of her name?"

"In fact I do my dear friend. Her name is Rapunzel"

_It's all falling apart! These three must be seperated at once or else Gothel's plan will fail! I must take my risks..._

"Your majesty, there will be a meeting this afternoon that the council and I have planned. Please attend" William said.

"Meeting? There is no meeting on today's schedule"

"Forgive me for not informing you earlier your majesty, but this is an emergency meeting"

"About what?"

"A topic that will only be opened once you arrive at the meeting, your majesty" William finished then bowed and briefly made his exit.

_Time to plan... The end to this unknown family reunion... Just enjoy your little happiness right now Leo... Because once I'm done with the meeting, I may as well be the new King of Corona, with Catherine as my lovely queen as we watch you rot in the dungeons for the rest of your miserable life. This will be the end of your reign over what should've been rightfully mine!_

**A/N: Dun...Dun... DUNNNNN :D**


	6. Chapter 6: The Boy Unnoticed

**A/N: Yay for the 3-day Weekend! :) Thanks for the great reviews, favorites, and follows you guys! I appreciate all the love given to this story! This looks like it'll be feisty! **

A thousand thoughts raced in Leonard's mind as he paced down the corridors to the meeting room. He knew of almost everything in the palace, from the most important of things to the stupidest at times. Why has the council not informed of anything so imperative such as an emergency meeting? Why him of all people?

_It's just probably some silly mistake. The council wouldn't dare stoop so low to do something such as that... _

Leonard also trusted William, knowing he wouldn't lie to him no matter what. They were dear childhood friends that had both befriended Catherine, though Leonard won her heart and William was left heartbroken as he had grown to have feelings for her. Though Leonard and him made up some time ago.

The king stopped when he reached the door. The usual guards outside were not there. Where had they gone?

Thinking they were ordered to take a break by William, Leonard opened the door and entered. After closing it, William was there, facing him casually. Though what was even more peculiar was that there were no council members in attendance.

_I thought this was an emergency council meeting! Where are all the council members?_

"William?" Leo asked

"What is it dear friend?" William replied.

"Where are all the council members?"

William thought for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. "Oh them... They went off somewhere, best not worry if I were you"

But Leo knew better than to believe his friend. There was something off about him that pressed on Leonard's curiosity and suspicion.

"You better be telling me the truth Will"

"_I am_"

Leonard scoffed at his obvious lies. "You are making a fool of yourself, just confess that your lying to me and let's talk"

"Whatever, though I will say that the _entire_ court is eyeing that girl like a hawk. You know why? Because they can sense that this child is some sort of manipulator" William continued, regardless of Leonard's words.

"How _dare _you call her a manipulator!? Rapunzel is just an innocent child with a sweet personality and-"

"You simply don't see the real her do you Leonard? Rapunzel is just another peasant girl that somehow managed to win the kindness of Catherine! And didn't you see the resemblance they share? Rapunzel may as well be trying to also pass off as the Lost Princess"

"She is just a lost girl William! How could you and the court think of these things!?" Leonard raged as he came closer to the main table. William stood up from his chair and kept grinning maliciously.

"Are you trying to make excuses to defend her? Or do you just not want to talk about your daughter?" he remarked

This stunned Leonard.

_How did he-? This isn't the William I know, what happened to him?_

"I-I- I" he sputtered at a loss for words.

"Did you _really_ think I forgave you six years ago? You are such a dim-witted cur, with no intelligence to rule a kingdom, or the passion to love someone such as Catherine. You should have never even been able to receive the gift of a child, for they will only suffer knowing that you are their father " William spat

Leonard then lost it. He marched over to William and slapped his cheek as hard as he could. It failed to harm the ambassador's feelings though, as he remained cool even with the red hand mark that has now appeared on his face. "You disgrace me. After all these years, I believed that you and I shared a close, friendly relationship. But I was wrong wasn't I? You are still that same imbecile that tried to overthrow Catherine and I after the loss of our daughter and the one that tried to kill me just so you could get her."

William clapped his hands slowly with a dirty sneer spread across his lips. "And it took you six years just to piece it all together... What a _great _king you are" he replied then gave a brief wink to the silver knight display next to the doors. They suddenly moved, as if magic had stirred their sleep. They grabbed ahold of Leonard as he protested. But the knights were stronger than him. They even put a piece of cloth in his mouth to make sure he wouldn't be heard pouting.

"Take him to the dungeons and try to make it seem like everything is normal at court" William ordered as he watched the two guards nod and carry Leonard away.

_Perfect... Now it's time to start playing..._

He thought spitefully as he took a vial out of his pocket. A purple liquid was in it. Gothel had given him the potion in case he wanted to win someone's heart, and now it was the time to use it.

* * *

Catherine and Rapunzel had walked into the chambers of Lady Felicia; a lady-in-waiting of Catherine's who recently brought her newborn child to court one last day before she leaves for her month break. They were close friends, Felicia and Catherine. Though favoritism amongst ladies-in-waiting were never too common, Catherine still kept it a secret that she favors Felicia and another woman out of her ladies.

"Lady Felicia" she beamed happily as Felicia turned and bowed her head. Even though the two were close, the rules and respect to royalty still had to be followed, this meant that Felicia still had to say "your majesty" and bow to her at her presence.

"Your majesty, wonderful to see you on this day" Felicia replied.

"The same goes for you too Felicia" Catherine said then noticed the cooing child bundled in cloth lying in Felicia's arms. "Is that her?" she asked

Felicia nodded happily, "Her name is Sophia"

"May I hold her?"

"Of course"

Felicia then handed the infant to Catherine. Sophia had sunshine blonde hair, fair skin, and pleasing green eyes. She reminded her greatly of her own daughter when she was a few months old.

Rapunzel also stared at the two. Catherine holding Sophia just seemed so... right. It even seemed as if she's seen it somewhere before.

"She's a rarity Felicia, such beauty that she possesses at such a young age"

"Thank you Catherine"

Then Rapunzel saw a boy standing next to Felicia. Someone who she has failed to notice when she first entered the room was gazing at her. He had brown hair, and the most daring hazel eyes that Rapunzel has ever seen. At the same moment, Felicia was reminded of him too.

"Oh and I forgot to mention Eugene to you"

Catherine then remembered Rapunzel too. "And I also forgot to introduce Rapunzel"

They both chuckled, "You first" Catherine insisted.

"Well, this is Eugene, he's one of the orphans from Ms. Hampton's Orphanage. I'm helping raise him at the orphanage as well as my own Sophia here. He's almost like my little brother, isn't that right Eugene?"

The boy nodded, "And you got my name wrong sister..."

Felicia rolled her eyes "Oh come now Eugene, being named after Flynnigan Rider just isn't the same as being named Eugene Fitzherbert. I like your name as it is"

Catherine and Rapunzel couldn't help but snicker at Eugene's last name.

"Fine..." Eugene groaned and crossed his arms.

"And this is Rapunzel, I found her during my usual route through the forest and decided to help her since she looked lost. I'll be taking her back to the forest this afternoon though, so she can return home" Catherine explained

"Oh, alright then" Felicia nodded.

Before the two could talk again though, someone knocked at the door. Catherine returned Sophia back to her mother and answered.

"Your majesty, Ambassador William requests your presence" said a guard

"Oh... Does he request me now?"

"Yes your majesty"

Catherine turned back to Felicia. "Can you please keep an eye on Rapunzel while I'm gone?" she asked

Felicia nodded.

"Thank you" Catherine replied then followed the guard.

* * *

Minutes later...

The guard opened the door to William's office as Catherine entered. Then closed it again.

"Ah your grace!" William greeted as he bowed "Come sit, and have a cup of tea while we chat"

Catherine accepted his invitation as they settled in two chairs in the other corner of the room. William handed over a cup of tea to her and made one for himself, then sat back and began.

"I've called you hear to inform you that his majesty has left Corona for a diplomatic meeting with the other monarchs of Spain, England, and Portugal. And that he won't be returning for a week or so" William informed

Catherine took a sip of her tea and set it down on its saucer "Why did he not tell me earlier that he was going to be leaving for a diplomatic meeting?" she wondered

"I apologize to your majesty, but it was an emergency and a last-minute summon; I'm afraid the king was in too much of a rush to leave you with a message".

She sighed and nodded then sipped from her tea again and placed it back on the saucer on the table

"Anyways, Catherine..." said William as he stood from his seat and kneeled next to her, holding her hand lovingly.

"Yes Will?" she responded smoothly

"Come, stand"

She did as he said. William held one of her hands then put his other hand on her cheek, while stroking it softly. "You are the most sublime woman I have ever laid my eyes on..." he whispered

"Oh William..." she murmured back

He leaned closer, then kissed her on the lips, softly at first, but he became more passionate. They broke away after some time and Catherine finally said what he had been waiting to hear for over ten years. "I love you William"

_It worked! The potion worked! Thank you Gothel..._

"I love you too my love. It's been a long wait, but your finally mine"

They kissed once more.

**A/N: Well... Dun...Dun... DUUNNNNN... Hey, where's Leo? O_O**


	7. Chapter 7: Rapunzel Meets Eugene

**A/N: Sorry about the late chapter update guys! I had a writing block over the week and I couldn't figure out what to write for this story =_= I was originally going to have a special birthday update on Thursday since it was my bday and all, but nothing came to me as it usually does so here I am now, with more fresh ideas! Fortunately, my writing blocks don't last very long, there are some people I know that have writing blocks for like months!**

**(Oh and the name "Annaleia" is from a book I'm writing, I thought it was a pretty name XD)**

**Anyways, moving on to the long-awaited chapter :)**

Felicia set down Sophia in her crib nearby as she attended to the two children. "Now Eugene, you know the ways of the palace. I'd do what Catherine told me to but I have to run an errand for Lady Mary, take care of Sophia, _and _finish packing a few of my things before leaving so I don't think I can spare enough time to watch after you two" she explained briefly then caught her breath "So I hope I can trust you both to be careful while I'm doing some final tasks. Can I?"

Eugene nodded "And you'll have Annaleia fetch us after your finished?"

"Yes, so can I trust you both?"

Eugene and Rapunzel looked at each other, then back to Felicia "Yup!" they both agreed. Felicia smiled "Thank you"

"Bye!" Eugene yelped as he grabbed Rapunzel's hand and rushed out the door and further into the hallways of the palace. When they were away from the room, Eugene stopped running and looked at Rapunzel.

"Sorry about that, I was afraid that my sis' was going to start blabbing away with the rules and stuff to make sure we aren't gonna cause trouble" he explained

"That's okay" Rapunzel smiled while blushing.

Eugene then looked out a nearby window and saw gray clouds that were starting to populate the skies of Corona. "Looks like the lantern festival might be cancelled for tonight if this is a heavy downpour".

At the mention of lanterns, Rapunzel became fascinated. What were these "lanterns" that this boy was speaking of to her? Are they like floating lights? "Lantern festival?" she began.

Eugene gave a confused look at her that said "have you been living under a rock for your whole life?" but responded politely anyways "The lantern festival is the event we hold for the lost princess. I don't exactly know why we do it, but Felicia told me it was to keep the king and queen's hopes to find their daughter" he said "Though I didn't really expect you to know since you don't look like you've lived here for long, least to say I've never seen you around the kingdom" Eugene added.

"This is actually the first time I've ever been outside of my home. I've don't even know what lanterns are..." Rapunzel admitted sadly and looked out the window; it seems like revealing her life to anyone besides woodland creatures never fails to disappoint her. Though Eugene wouldn't have done it to anyone but his sister, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright... I've lived in a orphange since I was a wee baby... The headmaster was kind of a morose person and always seemed to hate me. That was until Felicia came and saved me. Look- What I'm tryin' to say is that someone special will come to you one day and make you the happiest you've ever been, they'll almost be like family to you and maybe they actually will be. But when Felicia hadn't met me, I just always told myself to be kind, forgiving, and to smile, because I knew that it'll all pay off when the time rolls around" Eugene says then takes his hand off her shoulder.

Rapunzel faced him with a weak smile. "You understand my pain..." she muttered

"Yeah I kinda do, I guess..." Eugene replied putting his hand around his neck,thinking that he never acted that nice to strangers; especially girl ones.

"I thank you for that..."

"You're welcome"

Rapunzel looked out to the skies again and asked "Have you ever seen a lantern? What do they look like?"

"Well yes I have seen one ... Lanterns can fly with candles lighted up inside them, and there is usually paper surrounding the frame... I can't exactly describe what they are, to me their just pretty floating lights".

"Oh.." she sighed.

There was silence between the two children for a while as the mood of the clouds outside filled their hearts. Rapunzel's thoughts were on lanterns and how she could maybe build one when she had the right materials. Though Eugene had his mind on other things... Here in front of him was a young girl, maybe a year or two younger than him and she'd never seen the joy of the outside world.

Goodness she was so innocent... A part of him just wanted to keep a friendly but not very open conversation, and the other half wanted to show her the world, both of them seeing the endless beauty of life that spread far and wide past the mountains and into the vast open seas.

If only he could be her best friend... If only...

* * *

**In the dungeons below...**

Liam sat on the hay-covered floor of the cell, his soul wrapped in blankets of betrayal, the loss of a friend, fear, and his yearning to know if his beloved wife was safe and not in the hands of that low-life scum that he had thought was his most closest friend. Liam knew that William was still capable of luring Catherine to his heart, even after all these years...

_What if Catherine gets killed!? What if she gets lured to William's bedchambers!? What if Rapunzel gets beheaded and William takes over Corona!?_

Liam's heart raced with panic. Never had he been so anxious in his life (besides that time that Catherine was giving birth to their daughter)

_No I must remain calm... Catherine and Rapunzel need me! My whole kingdom needs me..._


	8. Chapter 8: Love Is Confusing Sometimes

A/N:** Yet another chapter! I may reach 20 by the time I'm done with this story, it depends :) Oh and yes, I did use a reference from a Disney Movie in this chapter. Guess what it's from! (Hint: The movie's name starts with a "B") Oh and this entire chapter is about the little fiasco with William, Cat, and Leo, just for early notice ;)**

Catherine paced back and forth across her room, her mind focused on only one thing: Leonard. The answer she had received from William was not convincing enough, Leo _always_ left a letter for her when he left for emergency diplomatic meetings, so what was it that made this meeting any different from all the others that he had gone to before?

She looked out a window nearby and sighed deeply when she saw the gray skies.

"If only someone could give me the answer to where Leo is... Maybe then I can finally figure out this situation"

* * *

**Palace Dungeons...**

William carried a flickering torch through the twisting maze of the palace dungeons. Grim and lustful thoughts had flooded his mind, with Leo locked away and incapable of escaping his prison, William could take over Corona once and for all. He now also had complete freedom to love Catherine, with the help of the love potion of course; oh the love he have long kept just for her... it's too bad Leo interfered in the first place... If he had not, William would've already been in a land far away with her.

All of a sudden, William stopped walking as he saw-what looked like a gray light. A small voice echoed "Come here" and "Follow me". Thinking his eyes and ears were playing tricks on him, William continued walking the same direction as he was before. Though when he turned the way he wanted to go, there was a stone wall blocking the path. William knew the dungeon's layout by heart, and he didn't remember a big wall blocking the path to Dungeon Cells 12-25 (Yes the cells were numbered).

When he turned around, the gray light was there again, whispering the same thing over and over. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, William obeyed the light. When he took his first step, a trail of gray lights began appearing, leading to the place where he had stopped when he had first seen it.

_What kind of witchcraft is this!?_ he groaned and followed the trail of lights. Though he strongly believed that nothing was going to be there, deep inside, he knew he would be wrong.

The lights suddenly stopped popping up. Looking at his surroundings, there was nothing but cages, cages, and more cages. Okay-now he wished he had trapped Leo in a much smaller dungeon, since he remembered that Corona once had a monarch that kept many villagers captive for his own satisfaction and entertainment, watching them get beaten with whips, beheaded, and some other unique forms of punishment that were far too ghastly to even describe. Nevertheless, the king loved all the gruesome suffering; though he was then suffocated to death by one of his many mistresses later on.

William listened deeper into the silence, ignoring the crackling of the torch in his hand. As he listened, he swore that he could hear the desperate pleas of those agonized prisoners kept here centuries ago. As much as he had been lured over to the further, formidable side of life, William still had mercy within his soul. Besides, his only true intention to do all this was so he could love Catherine once more. He had no clue he would actually manage to ge this far into the plans he had made. But... it seems like Leo fell for all his traps...

This was an achievement... A great desire that has been fulfilled. No longer does he have to spend his days mumbling in corners, saying how much he had despised Leonard and his love for Cat. Nor does he have to make countless plans of overthrowing Leo.

The sounds of those whispers... They somewhat brought him a bit more to the good side...

"Williaaaaaam! I will forever besmirch your betrayal to our friendship!" a familiar voice yelled.

William was about to go and free him... Until he had heard a piercing shriek in his thoughts that had instantly sent him pacing away to the exit.

If only the Spirit of Jealousy did not take over his thoughts... Then maybe it wouldn't have been this way...

* * *

**Back Upstairs...**

Different thoughts have now invaded Catherine's mind. The subject now changing from the absence of a letter from Leo, to her childhood memories with him and William.

"It was all so beautiful, it seemed like our friendships will always be there for eternity to come... But... then the argument over me has shattered that way of thinking..." she whispered to herself and sat down on the bed, staring off into space and remembering those memories that had changed everything.

_"Catherine, you know as well as I do that the time is drawing near..." her mother Gracielle reminded._

_"Yes mother, I know... But... I want to marry who I truly love, I do not want someone who I will bicker with til' the end of my days" Catherine protested _

_"Calm dear child... Calm..." _

_"Mother I am not a child anymore!" she continued._

_"I know you're not a child. I know you have your own will and life, and that's why I'm letting you marry whom you choose" Gracielle explained softly. Catherine then stopped her growing argument. D-did her mother just say-?_

_"Mother... I- I thought... I thought that it's not allowed for royalty to choose whom they love. And that the one that they were betrothed to since birth would be their mate"_

_"But with everything you buy, there is a price to pay" _

Of course... There was ALWAYS a catch to these seemingly painless bets... _Catherine thought._

_"Your true lover must be royalty" _

_Royalty? No problem, there were already two lads on her mind for some time now. She could just choose whom she really loved later._

_"And, the choice must be made within two days time.;Or else, the Coronian Council will force you to marry your betrothed" Gracielle finished_

_And Catherine did... though she both loved the lads dearly, there was only one that she her heart has chosen. It was William... Who else?_

"Wait a second..." Catherine said and repeated the last phrase _"It was Wiliam... Who else?"_. What on earth...? There would be no "who else", she loved William with all her heart, unless...

"_I love you Catherine, you are the sacred rose to my heart, the heaven that has accepted me, and the soul that makes me live..." _Leonard's voice echoed in her head.

_"You're the light of my life Cat, I probably couldn't see without you guiding my way" _William's voice said

She then looked over to a nearby portrait which portrayed her and... Leo? But wait... She and Leo were only mere close friends, any feelings beyond that was just probably because of them having been close to each other for a long period of time. Then she remembered the voice of Leo in her head. The tone of it consisted of such passion and emotion that she felt was close to her heart, then when William spoke, that warm feeling just turned into the feeling of usual fondness in a friend. Which was not as strong nor as close to her heart.

Catherine's head was spinning with all these thoughts, right now, it would be better if she didn't love either one at all! With that in mind, other memories filled her thoughts. One of which was a voice that greatly disturbed her.

_"I swear, one day that I will regain what is rightfully mine. That is you. Corona. And a child made from our own flesh and blood. And there will be no disturbance to our love any longer, for he will be dead" _

Then it hit her.

_William! William said that to me after I had married Leo that night! He vowed... and now he's truly granted his wishes_..._Then that means_ _I must leave this palace, William only wants me... That's why he's doing all this!_

Catherine ran to the door and opened it. Checking he surroundings, she made sure no one was watching. William must've already got them under his control with all the time that he got. She walked down the corridors, cautious if anyone will pop out of nowhere and lock her in her room until further orders from William have been made.

She then saw Felicia, exiting from a door and walking away with her back to Catherine. Though Catherine ran for her anyways.

"Oh Catherine!" Felicia cried in surprise "I-"

"Where is Rapunzel?" she asked in panic.

"Well... I had to do something for Lady Mary... pack some of my things..." Felicia mumbled, fearing the question. What will Catherine say when she finds out that she's disobeyed orders!?

"Felicia, where are they?!"

"I think I hear the ambassador calling my name..." she said, trying to change the subject.

"Felicia..."

"He's getting madder..."

"_Felicia_" Catherine gritted

"Oh no he's raging! I have to leave..."

"FELICIA!"

"I let Eugene look after her since I have to finish some things and take care of Sophia! Though Eugene whisked her away before I could ask where they'll be going! I'm so sorry!" Felicia blurted at last.

_Oh dear... I hope I can still lead wild goose chases... Because I'll be having to handle many today..._

**A/N: Wild goose chases? Cat's got it all under control... Right? **

**Oh and for those of you wondering, I made a reference about "Brave" ;) **


	9. Chapter 9: Lost in Darkness

**Well, I decided to change my format of A/N's, just for a change ^_^**

**By the way, thank you guys so much for all the reviews/favorites/follows on this story!**

**Your appreciation truly does inspire me to write better in both my fanfics and my own story that I do from time to time. :)**

* * *

"Like I said blondie, I don't know how to get out of here; so you just gotta learn to live with it" Eugene shrugged as Rapunzel was panicking next to him.

"LIVE WITH IT!? WE ARE IN A DUNGEON! AND I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU KNEW THIS PALACE BY HEART!" she raged

"As if" he huffed "Did you know that this palace has over three hundred rooms?"

"No I did _not_" Rapunzel replied, crossing her arms "And we need to leave this place _now_, there's just something eerie about these dungeons that scare me"

"Aww" Eugene said sympathetically then put his arm around Rapunzel's neck "It's okay blondie, these dungeons are only a few hundred years old after all, and they have had people die, suffer, and get tortured in them. It's _nothing_ to be afraid of!".

"Eugene, will you please stop being so weird?"

The arguments and change of attitude had begun when Eugene confessed that he has lost his way and didn't know the exit. That, or it was just the atmosphere of the dungeons that was changing their moods entirely.

"I was being sarcastic" he corrected

"Whatever!"

Eugene rolled his eyes. This first innocent-looking girl was now whining at him for something he accidentally dragged them into.

_I blame Felly..._ he thought hastily, using the nickname he knew Felicia disliked, then kept moving on. They turned to yet another passageway, and Eugene groaned loudly seeing the sight before him.

"What?" Rapunzel asked

"Stairs"

At this, Rapunzel also groaned and followed the leader,unaware of the spiteful little laughter trailing behind them.

* * *

"Felicia, hurry!" Catherine gasped, running through the halls.

Felicia, who was out of breath by now, didn't even know that Catherine could zoom around the palace at this speed. She was almost like Eugene when he was a toddler, crawling around and causing mischief.

"Catherine! Slow down the pace, _please_!" she pleaded and paused her small jog.

Catherine listened to her friend, but gave her a worried look as she stopped. She needed to get Rapunzel away from this place, to protect her from the harmful dangers that lurk within the mind of William, because heaven knows what William has on his mind!

"Felicia, please... We need to get them away from the palace... This is truly-"

"Looking for who, Catherine?"asked William, coming up from down the hallway.

"Damn it..." Felicia swore under her breath. They were _that_ much closer to finding the children, had she not stopped to catch her breath; William wouldn't have found them.

"Leonard" Catherine lied "Where is he?"

_H-how did-? The effect of Gothel's potion is almost impossible to break without the antidote! Unless... Someone gave her an antidote? Ugh! This ruins EVERYTHING! I have to make some sort of distraction... I can't let her go off and gain her husband back, I just can't!_

"Dead... The ship he was on crashed into a pile of rocks and it killed everyone onboard" William replied in a solemn tone.

Both women looked at each other in a strange and abashed fashion to which they both shared at that moment. They thought that their ears were deceiving them at first, and Catherine thought this was all just some false report from the men at sea.

"William, don't make such a nonsense of this event. I need to know where my husband is!" Catherine raged

He kept a straight-forward expression, and spoke in a dull manner. "He is _dead _Catherine, I've already had ships scout for the one he was on and-"

"Lies! All lies!" she burst, with tears on the rim of her eyes. Then there was the hardening lump of perplexsion in her throat that everyone gets just before crying.

"Catherine" he spoke calmly "Accept it. He's dead. Gone."

Catherine began to shake her head in pure denial "No, I don't believe you"

Felicia then held her hand, she turned to face Felicia, only to see tears were already making their trail through her face. "I'm sorry" she whispered.

"Felicia... No... H-he can't be..." Catherine stuttered, her entire body was shaking from the staggering news

"He is..."

"God, no! Leo!" she cried and wept on her friends' shoulder.

As Catherine did, Felicia's eyes shot daggers at William. He turned his eyes away from her, then left without any further words.

"Come now Catherine..." she whispered and led the weeping queen to her bedchambers.

* * *

**Poor Cat... Man... I just sometimes hate writing the revalations of death to characters. **

**It just kills the mood for meh :(**

**But hey... That's the drama of the story plot :P**


	10. Chapter 10: Just A Flicker of Hope

**Two chapters in one day? ****Well they are short O_o**

**Enjoy this Saturday's update!**

**I just badly wanted to get to Chapter 10 :)**

* * *

"Thank goodness!" Eugene sighed as he and Rapunzel opened the gates to the entrance of the dungeon. "I'm so happy we _finally_ found our way back"

"Uh huh..." Rapunzel grumbled, her arms still crossed after all this time. "After having to go through at least a hundred pathways...".

"It wasn't so bad! Now come on. We need to get back to Felicia, Annaleia wouldn't even think about finding us down here anyways"

_"Your not going anywhere..." _whispered a hush voice

"Wha-?"

At that moment, the torches on the walls of the stairway leading to the halls of the upper palace flickered out. The orange flames where then replaced with blue ones.

"E-eugene!" Rapunzel squeaked as she clutched on to her companion.

"It's okay Rapunzel" Eugene said and held her close to his body. "Everything will be alright"

A white blur then appeared at the top of the stairway. The blur soon transformed into a girl though. Her skin was a whitish color, her eyes as black as night, and she had blood dripping from her forehead. She wore a shredded nightgown, there was blood splattered on it, and she was carrying a black rose and was barefoot.

_"Rapunzel..." _she whispered, extending out one of her hand.

"W-what do you want from me?" Rapunzel whimpered, tightening her grip on Eugene's shirt

_"Catherine..."_

"What are you-?"

_"Daughter... Mother... Two... Shall... Unite..." _

"Wait a second... Are you implying that Catherine is Rapunzel's mother and that they will one day-"

_"Thou should seek thy mother Rapunzel... Thou art the only one that can saveth her" _

"Why don't you ever let me finish my senten-" Eugene said, only to be cut off again

_"Hurry Rapunzel. Hurry." _

The ghost girl then dissapeared and Eugene sighed "Well-"

_"Hurry"_ her voice echoed once more. The flames then turned orange once more as Rapunzel pieced the puzzle together. Though she may not have understood much of the "thee" and art" language but she was certain that they meant "You should seek your mother Rapunzel... You are the only one that can save her". 'Daughter... Mother... Two... Shall... Unite...' was a pretty clear message too.

"W-wait..." Rapunzel murmered as she loosened her grip on Eugene's shirt "Does this mean...?"  
"Yes blondie!" Eugene beamed, straightening his shirt "You're the Lost Princess"

Her thoughts spun around her. So does that mean... All her life... Mother Gothel was lying to her?

"How could Gothel lie to me!?" she burst

"Who's-?"

"She just plays me like I'm her puppet or something!"

"What-"

"Why would she do that to me...?" Rapunzel whimpered, tears already rolling down her eyes.

"Because she-"

Before Eugene could be cut off once more, Rapunzel had already sped off to see Catherine.

* * *

William cackled as he faced Leo, who's clothes were already soaked with blood after all the slaughtering William has done.

"This is what you get!" he yelled and slashed another cut on Leo's face. "She was mine! All mine!"

Leonard was tied to a chair with chains, his legs were immobile as William also locked them in, so he had no way of escaping.

_God... Please have mercy on me... I don't want to leave my wife... My people... My duty..._ he thought silently in his head

William lashed his dagger once more, this time it was on his shoulder, and it was a deep one.

"I won't stop until you have bled to death. You will have to feel what I have suffered for those years, when my father kept beating me and screaming at me to go and find an eligible maiden to call my own" William said "Then, and only then will I be happy"

* * *

**30 minutes later...**

"I can't believe he's gone..." Catherine whispered "Why do I have to lose all my loved ones in life? First it was my parents, then my daughter, and now my husband"

Felicia sat next to her, holding her hand in reassurance of her dear friend.

_That wretched William... I will slit his throat once I'm done here... Maybe even behead him to finish the deed _she vowed grimly

Catherine then let go of her Felicia's reassuring touch and put both of her hands in front of her face, crying in final defeat. William had won. She had lost.

"Felly!" cried Eugene as he and Rapunzel burst into the room.

Felicia only eyed him disapprovingly, trying to remind him of his manners. "Well, forgive me if I withold my enthusiasm to use my manners at the moment, but this is important!"

"What could be more important now than the death of the king?" she hissed

At this, the two children stared at each other in surprise. "The king is dead!?" they asked in unison.

"Yes... William told us..."

"Since when did-"

"Catherine!" Rapunzel cried first and immediately rushed to the queen's side. "Look, I found out something..."

Catherine then put her hands away from her face "What could be more important than this!?" she sobbed "Everyone I love is dead..."

There was a minute or two of complete silence before anyone responded "Not as important as knowing that I've found the Lost Princess?" Rapunzel said.

"That's impossible" she replied "My daughter is as good as dead...". Catherine lost all hope of finding her daughter as soon as she had heard that Leonard died. Without him all the faith and belief that the Princess would be found with the help of the lanterns was gone. She felt like she had no more purpose in life anymore, being a queen and serving her people meant nothing to her anymore.

"No she isn't"

"Yes she is" Catherine replied sternly.

"No she isn't!" Rapunzel protested.

"YES SHE IS!"

With all her might and bravery, Rapunzel just went straight ahead to her sentence "I'm the Lost Princess!"

Then the light of hope was lit once more. Catherine looked at the girl she once knew as just a commoner. Their green eyes both sparked in recognition.

* * *

**There goes the part that most of you have been waiting for!**

**And yes, there will be an update for tomorrow for those of you**

**who are dying for an update after that cliffhanger :)**


	11. Chapter 11: William Complains

**This special chapter was on the top of my priorities today, **

**I can't leave you guys hanging on that cliff forever!**

**Stand by for next week's update! :)**

* * *

Rapunzel held her breath for what Catherine would say next. Though she was speechless.

Felicia herself had suspected the girl had something about her the moment she had laid eyes on her. She was- In fact right all along.

"C-Catherine?" she murmered, as Catherine closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

"Catherine!" cried Felicia as she rushed to catch her.

_"Catherine!" _

_She opened her eyes, to find that all the pain was gone. It was as if it had vanished into thin air, never to come back. Leo was next to her, smiling so proudly as he held their newborn daughter. _

_The night before was like a miracle, and though Catherine felt like she was going to die from all the pain in her body, the flower had just been found at the moment she was going to give up. __And though she slaved on having their child for 18 hours, it was all worth it. _

_Catherine's parents were there too, as well as her own ladies-in-waiting; all smiling in relief. Leo helped her sore body sit up, and handed her the infant. She was beautiful as the morning dawn... She had blonde hair (Quite odd...) and the same identical green eyes such as hers. Catherine sighed and smiled, tears rolling down her eyes. "Isabelle" she said "Princess Isabelle"._

_"You want her name to be Isabelle?" Leo asked "Well, it's alright with me, but are you sure?" _

_She nodded happily "Yes... Isabelle..." _

_"She looks like an Isabelle if you ask me..." chuckled a voice. _

_Catherine turned her head to the entrance and saw her sister, Anne. "Sister..." she smiled_

_"Cat..." Anne sighed, walked to her sister, and embraced her. "Congratulations to both of you"_

_"Thank you sister" _

**_Later that night..._**

_Catherine and Leo lifted the lantern into the sky, joining the other thousands of lanterns that had been launched by their fair subjects. Isabelle gurgled and even tried to reach out for the lantern her parents had released. _

_"Thank you all Corona!" Leo thanked the crowd, as they cheered._

* * *

"Gothel! The potion you gave me was a faux!" William cried

"T'was not! You must've done someting wrong" Gothel protested.

"No! I didn't! Catherine just suddenly remembered and I don't know what went wrong!"

"Foolish child you are, you shouldn't have left her alone then. She would remember if you weren't by her side, manipulating her with your presence"

"Y-you didn't tell me that!" he protested; Gothel just snickered grimly.

"There are things that are just sometimes best left alone my dear. That is a lesson you are yet to learn" she said before swinging her cape around her and vanishing.

* * *

**Well, short chapter but that did kind of help clear up some of the **

**suspense! See ya next update! ;)**

**Oh and I have a tendency to have fainting queens, it's a habit in most of my writing. **

**In my book, I made a queen faint at least 6 times, almost everytime she hears something bad is going to happen,**

**Faint! XD**


	12. Chapter 12: Gothel's Lies

**Chapter 12! Weeee! :)**

**Though don't you just hate weekends/weekdays when your just SO busy that you can't do anything you want?**

**So at last Chapter 12 has arrived!**

**Oh and I will be replying/commenting to the first 1-7 reviewers , in another update tomorrow!**

**Our dear story is coming close to its end isn't it? **

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"You know, I'm not that surprised that you're the Lost Princess after all this time..." Felicia admitted, caressing Catherine's hair.

"Y-your not?" Rapunzel asked in awe "I didn't even notice any type of similarities between us, and you did?"

Eugene stifled a laugh, and Felicia just nodded "You know as they say, the Lost are often blind to the Seeker, as the Seeker is blind to them"

"I've never heard of that one" she said, "Though it seems true to our situation"

"No kidding" Eugene replied.

"Was it _that _obvious that I was the Lost Princess?" Rapunzel whispered, blushing red from not realizing everything earlier. Seriously though... How could she not see the resemblance that she and Catherine so clearly shared? Was she blind during the entire day!?

"I feel so _stupid!_" she cried, still not being able to accept the fact of her lack in observing; when she usually does a good job in it.

"Now, now... Don't call yourself stupid, you are quite keen girl for your age, not every child is capable of possessing such natural knowledge such you do. Though I guess that's what you receive when you mix the blood of Catherine and Leonard"Felicia responded, giving a playful smirk at Eugene with the mention of knowledge. He just stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms.

Rapunzel then sat next to Felicia and placed her hand on top of Catherine's; sighing.

"Aren't you supposed to be happy that you found your mother?" Eugene asked, gaining another nudge from Felicia.

"How could I be happy when I just realized that my foster-mother has lied to me all this time? Trying to hide me from the truth of the real world and from trying to find out who my true parents are?" she whimpered "And how she took complete advantage of my hair's power just for her own use!"

Felicia put her arm around the girl and pulled her in close; feeling the tears from Rapunzel landing on her dress. She herself shed a drop, realizing how this naive, and kindhearted child was lied to all of her life, and knowing how the pain felt when her foster parents told her that she wasn't their daughter, and that they just wanted to make her happy and not tell the truth. "Lies can be beautiful, though the truth is almost always not" her foster-sister had once told her.

Goodness was it true...

* * *

**Dream Sequence: **

_"No!" she cried, desperately trying to escape from the clutches of the guards as they dragged him away. _

_"Catherine!" he yelled back, while kicking his captors as hard as he could "Catherine!" he continued, as the guards dragged him further away from her._

_"This is for the best my Princess..." whispered a guard, as he pulled away the struggling maiden from her lover in the opposite hall._

_"No! Please! I command you all to release me at once!" Catherine wailed_

_The guards spoke nothing, as they continued their journey back to Catherine's kingdom; Mishellda. Even with the fair maiden's pleading and crying, the guards remained loyal to their order from the king; even if it pained them to see the once ecstatic, and energetic princess under these circumstances and the burdens of forced marriage. After a few hours, Catherine had gone silent; even on the ride back home with the guards inside the carriage with her. _

_When they returned to the palace, and escorted Catherine back to her room; they only got a sharp "thank you" in reply, as well as the slam of a door._

_It was rather harsh of her but she wasn't in the best of moods at the moment, anyone who was her would've felt the same way if it was their lover taken away. Catherine sank to the floor and cried silently in her arms. _

Why does this have to happen to me? What have I ever done to hurt my parents? _she thought then spotted her dagger nearby, placed on her bedside table _

Maybe it'll all end if... if I...

_She lifted herself from the floor and walked over to the table. Her hands shook as they placed themselves upon the handle, feeling the smooth wood. Catherine lifted it up to her face and saw the slight reflection of her; though hating her image, she extended her arm and pressed it upon her skin. Catherine winced as she made a small slit, afterwards, she watched a drop of blood make a trail down her arm to her hands. Her heart beated fast as she looked at the blade. _

_After much hesitation, Catherine stabbed herself through her heart; collapsing to the ground._

_DEAD._

* * *

William's mind formed a small gasp as he woke from the dream trance that Gothel had put him into after he and her had fought over the love potion.

_It must be the backlash of the potion... Catherine wouldn't dare place a knife to her skin and kill herself. But still... that dream... why does it feel like I've seen it before?_

William tried to stand, though his beaten body prevented him from doing so. He also noticed his ripped clothing from when Gothel has slashed him with daggers that came from nowhere. He should've known better than to fight with witches, or to strike a deal with one... Damn he's so asinine!Though her beauty mesmerized him, and he just couldn't refuse like he usually does with the others.

In the skies he heard the incoming rumble of thunder, lighting, and rain; quickly, he managed to stand upright to search for his sword in the ashes of the burnt trees from the battle. When he failed to find it, he searched for his horse instead; also finding it to be missing, along with his shoes.

He groaned as he realized that he'll have to walk back to Corona barefooted, weaponless, starving, wounded, and in rags of clothing. To make it worse, that horse's owner was the Captain of the Royal Guard, who was often hotheaded and not too tolerant when his belongings are not returned to him immediately after they are borrowed.

_Great... Now I'll have to receive a brief lecture from the Captain... Hmm... On second thought, I'll just execute him..._

William stepped through the ashes, mumbling angrily to himself and to how he was foolish during the entire deal with Gothel.

_I can't believe she stole my weapon and my shoes! She truly is a wretched woman isn't she? I should've known..._

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**There you go folks! Chapter 12 **

**Sorry for the delay.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Beginning of the End

**Responses: **

**(Allana Stone)- Thanks for liking! I think you'll like this chapter too :)**

**(carriemarie78)- Another update today! Hopefully I can write that part, I'm not too good with finishing scenes XD**

**(Umbre0n)- The suspense will grow, I can assure you of that! Lol.**

**(Tangled4ever)- Yeah, one of those rare moments where I can write horror. Usually, my scary scenes end up being weird and akward :P**

**(Emilee-xx)- Stay tuned for the updates! As I said, the suspense WILL grow much more :) Oh and I sometimes have delayed updates, but I catch up after a bit.**

**(princess0kitty)- Yeah, William is crazy :p And he will get much more insane later on :)**

**Maybe another answer/comment to reviews next update, 1-7 as usual. **

**Yay for Winter Break update! 3 Smile! :)**

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"To think I trusted that wretched ambassador that people have told me was the best spy in all the land... Hhmph!" Gothel muttered as she walked along the streets of Corona "I can do this by myself if I wanted to! Why did I even choose to have a person to do my bidding, knowing he will fail me?"

The townsfolk stared at her strangely, lucky for Gothel-cloaked figures around Corona were common and the only reason why they were staring at her was because she was muttering words as she stepped through. She was also fortunate that these people did not believe in killing people who used witchcraft such as sorcery, necromancy, and other types of magic.

"I'll get Rapunzel back... My flower belongs to me, not those heartless royal _imbeciles_!" Gothel hissed, adding a vile tone at the end.

* * *

After an hour of unconsciousness, Catherine finally awoke. Her head throbbed painfully, and her process of thinking was still getting back on track.

_So that's what it feels like to lose consciousness... Ugh... My head..._

"Catherine!" Felicia sighed in relief, embracing her friend after a time of hopelessness.

"Fel-Felicia? Oh god... Is that you?" she croaked as Felicia assisted her in sitting up.

"Yes it's me" she replied "Are you feeling alright? Dizziness of any sort?"

"Just a bit lightheaded. Where's Rapunzel?"

"Down the hall with Eugene, why?"

"I need to talk to her once and for all" Catherine replied, as she stood up from the bed and walked to the door with Felicia. They went outside of the room and saw the two children at the very end of the hall, looking out at the rain and tracing the trails of the drops on the windows with their fingers. Catherine looked at Felicia worriedly, and Felicia gave a reassuring look in return.

"Rapunzel?" Catherine called out to the them, capturing their attention as they slowly turned around to face her. At first glance, Rapunzel ran straight to Catherine and cried.

Catherine kneeled as she comforted the poor child. She herself could not stop her incoming tears, even if she could often prevent them from escaping her eyes.

"She lied to me... That stupid woman lied to me!" Rapunzel wailed

"I know..."

"Why did this have to happen to me? Why me?!"

"Rapunzel"

"Does life hate me that much to-"

"Rapunzel, listen to me" Catherine said sternly, lightly gripping her child's shoulders "That vile woman will never lay a single finger on you as long as I'm by your side. You are my daughter, and I love you with all my dearest heart, no matter what that wretched woman does; I will fight until she dies for what she has done to this family. I don't want you to be hurt anymore, I don't want you to suffer the pain she has inflicted upon me as well; I love you..."

"Mommy" Rapunzel whimpered as she embraced her mother once more; and reunited with her once and for all. Catherine teared up more when she heard her daughter call her mother; she thought she'd never live to see the day when it happened; but here she is, embracing her daughter. Life truly was amazing...

* * *

**Just a short Christmas Eve update since I was flooded with dinner **

**preparations tonight. Most people celebrate the night of Christmas, though it's different**

**in my culture. Which means getting to open the gifts early! **

**So, Merry Christmas to you all! I have a long update tomorrow as a Christmas gift to you all! 3**

**Thanks for the reviews, remember; I accept anonymous reviews too! :)**


	14. Chapter 14: A Thousand Lies

**Here's my late Christmas gift, I seriously cannot keep my promise chapters huh?**

**Whenever I plan to write something I'm flooded with activities that day, so I guess I won't promise chapters anymore XD**

**Sometimes, things aren't just the way they are planned X3****. **

**Long chapter! :) **

** (Guest reviews are welcome!) **

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The smiles that were plastered on Rapunzel and Catherine's faces were brighter than the thousands of lanterns that they would fly at the Lantern Festival, and nothing else can replace the lost love and happiness that they have regained once more, not even words can say how joyful the moment was.

But their happiness was short-lived.

Marching from down the hallway was William in torn clothing, his face scarred with spatters of blood and scratches as well as bruises. As soon as he reached the group, William drew out a sword and held it towards Catherine's throat.

"Give me the damn girl, or I will slit all your throats along with Catherine" he croaked in a raspy voice. Everyone including Rapunzel stiffened.

"No, she is _my _child and I will never let you or that witch take her away from my husband and I ever again!" Catherine replied sternly.

William came closer to her and whispered in her ear "Then marry me if you ever so dearly care for her and your wretched husband", his voice sent shivers down her spine and shattered her heart just by thinking about it.

"No" she whispered and closed her eyes shut.

"Why?" he continued, gripping her jaw to face him. She slowly opened her eyes to meet his fiery gaze.

"Can you never figure out why? You must be so blind to not realize it all these years"

"Answer me" William hissed into her ear once more.

"I love Leonard because he isn't you. He married me because he truly had affection for me as well as an ability to listen to my opinions and not just his own. You love me because your father pushed you to the edges of doing so, you love me for my beauty, you love me for my fortune and high rank in power" Catherine obeyed, eyeing him grimly "And you nearly killed your own brother for my hand in marriage"

"Don't you ever call him my brother! That man is nothing but a worthless manipulator that's a waste of food, air, and water!" William yelled, making the already terrified watchers tremble with more dread.

"Even if you were not born by the same mother, your blood is linked with your father. How the hell can you say that he's worthless after all you've been through? You both cared and loved each other to death and-"

"SILENCE!" he thundered, pressing the sword a little more "It was his fault that I was nearly _beaten_ to death by our father! If he had not been so jealous enough to steal you away from me, I would've never tried to kill any of you in the first place!"

"I never loved you William, and I never will! My heart belongs to him and him only; you must learn that you cannot get everything you want by killing or trickery because some things just cannot be taken away from where they already reside! Just like how you can never break him or I apart just because you wish to get your revenge on him by forcing me to love you!" Catherine cried in protest then pushed him away from her.

Felicia held a hand to her heart and brought the children closer to her for reassurance. William slashed his sword but Catherine dodged his swing and grabbed another metal sword from a knight display nearby. She and him collided, William pushed his weapon against hers until the metal slipped and both of them paused for a moment before Catherine gripped the hilt and managed to catch him off-guard as she swung the metal through William's chest.

Not on the verge of giving up, William cut a deep slash on her right arm. She didn't hesitate and ignored the sting of the wound, swinging another hit at William's leg.

Rapunzel's heart raced as she watched her mother get wounded. It pained her like she was feeling the hurt of that shoulder slash.

William then threw her sword off her hand and catched it in the air by the hilt. Defenseless, Catherine scanned the hallway for the next nearest thing she could find, then on a table, she spotted it and grabbed it in time before William could inflict her with more pain.

"Give it up Catherine, it's not worth saving the life of a wretch like Leonard. Marry me and you'll save the life of your family and friends" William scoffed, putting the sword on the neck of Felicia.

"You can't hurt my sister!" Eugene screamed and did the only thing he _can_ do at the moment. He kicked him in his sensitive part and William instantly punched Eugene on the face, making him hit the wall on the other side of the room.

"Eugene!" Felicia and Rapunzel cried in unison as the girl raced over to the boy.

"Pathetic pest..." he sneered, facing Catherine once more.

Her heart skipping a beat when she saw her loved ones in danger, Catherine threw the weapon she had in her hand at William's head. The object hit him, and William was knocked out cold. His two swords flew in the air, aiming at the two children.

Catherine and Felicia tried to get them before they hit, but gravity won. Rapunzel and Eugene screamed as the two swords came at them. But then... a glowing circle closed them in, making the two swords bounce off them and directly into William's body. The two older women could only gawk, but stopped when the glowing circle disappeared and came over to the two chidlren.

"What was that?" Felicia asked

"I don't know... I just shut my eyes and we were suddenly safe" Rapunzel replied as she looked over to Eugene, who was surprisingly conscious but his left eye was a black eye.

"Oh Eugene... Your eye..." Felicia whispered then embraced her foster-brother.

Rapunzel just embraced Catherine tightly, never wanting to see her mother in a situation much like that.

"Thank goodness he did no harm to you" she gasped then held the back of Rapunzel's head, then remembered the slash William had given her. She looked over to her right shoulder, though the cut was no longer there... only Rapunzel there. What on earth happened?

"I still can't believe you won him using a frying pan" Felicia said, looking over to the corpse of William with two swords in his chest and a frying pan next to him.

"It was all I could find, and I can't be happier to know that it actually worked against him" Catherine sighed.

"Quick, we have to find Leonard" Felicia said

"But Felicia, he's dead... William said so and it didn't sound like he was lying"

"If what you said was true, and they really are brothers; I think I can guarantee you that William kept him alive. Even siblings who hold the greatest of hate for each other hesitate upon the decision of slaying their own kin as well as the ones who are not related but are close" she explained "Just look at Eugene and I here, I sometimes despise his antics but he's still here isn't he?"

"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" Eugene commented.

"Whatever it is, we need to find him. He's still alive and I just know it"

"Alright, let's seek the dungeons." Catherine agreed

* * *

**Some time later...**

"Good lord... I forgot how twisted these dungeons are" Catherine said as she held a torch while leading the group.

"We got lost in here some time ago, but Eugene and I managed to find our way back" Rapunzel informed

"Pfft... After some three hours..." Eugene scoffed.

They continued down the paths, unknowing where Leo might be. Rapunzel paused halfway through, when she saw a floating wisp of white light that whispered "Come here..." or "Follow me". The others also stopped, and gestured for her to come to them since she was behind; so thinking it was a trick of her eyes, Rapunzel began to go towards the direction of her group,but before she knew it, a wall came crashing out of nowhere in front of her and the white wisps appeared back to way she had looked.

"Mother!" she cried through the wall.

"We'll try to meet you in some other way Rapunzel! Just try to find a way out where you are!" Catherine's voice screamed.

"Alright!" she agreed and hesitantly, yet curiously followed the trail of wisps. Each step she took made another wisp appear in front of her, and it made her filled with anxiety to where this was taking her. But somehow... it just felt so right to follow this trail, giving her a feeling of hope and reassurance as she made her way through the damp and eerie dungeon.

Though every once in a while, she'd stop to glance at what seemed like a shadow passing by the other paths. It made her uncomfortable, but when she turned back to the light, she felt relieved once more. Rapunzel still felt the presence of something nearby though, a familiar presence that was not wanting to help her, but to harm her. After a while, Rapunzel felt the presence grow stronger and she began to run her way through the trail of wisps. She swore that she felt eyes staring at the back of her head, watching her and following her every step in a slow walk.

Rapunzel wanted to believe that she was imagining the feeling, but it felt so unearth-like and she just wanted it to stop. Out of breath, Rapunzel resorted to a fast pace, not wanting to stop because she was afraid that if she did, the presence would come and swallow her whole.

Her heart shook with agitation and she felt like she was in a nightmare as she followed those wisps. She wondered when the trail would end, maybe then the beastly presence would stop looming over her; but she could only wish for so much.

At last, Rapunzel reached the path with an endless stretch of cells that had skeletons in them from their previous prisoners. She avoided staring into the holes in the victims' skulls, and tried as much to keep them out of her vision; but they were unavoidable as it is. Skeletons crowded every cell, still clothed in ragged clothes and some still had a few strands remaining of their hair. The gruesome silence worsened their appearance, at least it wasn't too quiet with the flickering of the torch she was carrying, but it still haunted Rapunzel to no end.

The safe feeling she had in the beginning of this trail was no longer there, in it's place was angst, insecurity, and the yearning to see her the living daylights again. Whenever Rapunzel tried to look at the light for reassurance and comfort, the feeling was lost too quickly and she didn't dare to turn back anymore to see what was there. Once again, she ran her way through the trail, wanting desperately to be in the arms of Catherine and to hear the voices of others. She wanted to have company.

Then, she saw him. Lying on the wall of the cell; bloody, bruised, and unmoving. Rapunzel raced to him immediately and stopped at the front of the cell. It was locked, but she took out a metal clip from her hair and fiddled with the lock until it opened. She kneeled on the hay next to him, and saw that her father was left with cuts all over his body. Leonard's clothing was torn, his hair dirty and a mess; but that was the least of Rapunzel's care right now. She saw the sign that he was breathing and still living, despite all the torture inflicted upon him.

But Rapunzel knew that he would die within the matter of the next few hours, and that using her hair to heal her father's wounds would do no good. With acknowledgement of his future, Rapunzel caressed his face lightly, imagining what it would've been like to have him as her father before. She sometimes read in books that the fathers of the characters always made them laugh, smile, and happy. Rapunzel wondered if he would've tickled her until she was gasping for breath, or read her bedtime stories. Gothel always changed the subject when she asked where her father was, but she didn't protest.

Now, she wanted to scream endlessly at her, argue with her until she gave her answers. All this, and her care for her father made Rapunzel shed a tear. That tear rolled off her cheek, and it dripped unto Leonard's beaten body. Knowing she could do nothing, Rapunzel closed her eyes and weeped. A golden glow was the only thing that had her looking at her father's body again.

Rapunzel was instantly astonished at the sight. A string of golden light had made a picture of a flower which then turned to a sun shape before dissapearing. "Wha.." she mumbled. Afterwards, Rapunzel turned around and saw a cloaked figure that put it's hand on her head and completely blacked her out.

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**Gonna take a break, ****See you next update! :)**

**Happy New Year!**


	15. Chapter 15: Flower Of The Sun

**Okay fellas, I should've told you this earlier but...**

**This is the official last chapter of The Lucky 6th Birthday. ****Epilogue is included here :)**

**I just want to say, a big thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed, favorited, and viewed this story. Infinite cookies for all of you! :3**

**This story has been a fun one to type and I enjoyed playing around with the plot ^_^**

**There will be more fanfics to come!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled, all rights belong to Disney**

* * *

Rapunzel's eyes opened slowly as she tried to see her surroundings clearer. Everything was such a blur...

"Hey, Rapunzel?" asked a familiar voice.

"Rapunzel?"

"Rapunzel, can you hear us?"

"Can you see straightly?"

W-wait a minute... Those sounded like...

Rapunzel cleared her vision and saw the four people that mattered to her most. Catherine, Leonard, Eugene, and Felicia. They were all safe...

"What happened?" she asked

"You were knocked unconscious when I saw you in the dungeon, and shortly after my awakening they found both of us" Leo replied. The girl set her mind straight as she remembered everything that had happened, the cloaked figure, her crying for her father, and the wisps of white lights that made a trail to lead her to him, William's death...

"A cloaked figure was the one that made me unconscious" Rapunzel informed, with her hand on her forehead "I don't know how they did it but they put their hand on my forehead and I just saw black".

"That's witchcraft, sorcery to be clear of it" Felicia perked up "My uncle told me a story much like yours, he said that a cloaked figure came out of nowhere and offered him a blessing for his trip to the northern kingdoms and when he accepted, the figure put their hand on his forehead and he was unconscious until sunset. All his belongings have disappeared as well, save for his clothes"

"Though witchcraft is highly forbidden, who would be asinine enough to use such an art?" Catherine asked. There was a deathly silence before Rapunzel broke it.

"Gothel" she gasped "She practices it. Though instead of the white magic, she does necromancy and sorcery. I have a feeling that she wants me back because of the healing powers of my hair..."

"Is this "Gothel" the woman who kept you captive?" Leo asked

"Yes, she's the one who kidnapped me from you all those years ago"

"I'll double the guards... We can't let her get you back again"

"No, don't... Please..." she begged "She may have lied to me, and she may have betrayed many others in the past; but if there's one thing I have learned on this day, is that true love can surpass all those negative feelings. I don't care if it sounds ludicrous or even beyond the reality of life; but as long as I have you, my real family, I know that the love we share together can keep us safe, and guide us through the predicaments Gothel throws at us. We just have to have faith in our power"

Catherine and Leonard gave smiles at their daughter, the long-lost child that they thought disappeared to the ends of the Earth- was right here, looking at them with those nature green eyes that have captured their hearts the very day she was born; a day that they would never regret. The two parents embraced her, with such merriment and love that not even the coldest of hearts can survive.

Today, was the day that they finally become a true family.

* * *

**Before the Lantern Festival...**

After the reunion of Rapunzel and her parents, the rain had decided not to come early and the two monarchs continued the lantern festival. Though this one would be different, this time the festival was not one of lost hope and heavy hearts; it was one filled with laughter, bliss, and rejoice for the lost princess returning home at last. The announcement of her arrival would be declared at the celebration, and Rapunzel could not be more giddy.

"Oh Eugene, do you think we could actually launch a lantern?" she squealed as she and her companion waited outside for sunset while sitting on a stone bench in the palace gardens.

"Trust me Blondie, you'll probably be flying a million lanterns tonight" Eugene snickered

"I sure hope so!" Rapunzel squeaked and spread her arms wide with a grin on her face. But Rapunzel shortly stopped when she heard a small crashing sound on the ground next to her. She looked over the seat and gave a small gasp, there was Eugene with a small cut on his face.

"Oh Eugene! I'm so dreadfully sorry" she cried

"Hey, it's okay Rapunzel" he smiled as she helped him stand up "I've been in worst situations"

"What will Felicia say?"

"She'll ask if I was playing with the horses in the palace stable again, or if I recently played a trick on another chameleon".

Rapunzel held his bruised cheek, and looked over the damage she has caused with worry. Eugene on the other hand, hated being touched by anyone he did not know too well, but...yet loved the feeling of Rapunzel's delicate touch, it was like a delicate feather on his cheek brushing against his skin. He couldn't help but gaze in Rapunzel's eyes in the setting sun.

"Ohh... I hope healing with my hair won't give you too much of a ras-" she stopped and noticed the way Eugene was looking at her eyes. Rapunzel couldn't help but look back at his eyes either. They sparkled in the vanishing light, and filled her heart with heavenly paradise, making her blush a bit.

"Did you know your cute when you blush?" he asked

Rapunzel giggled and gave a passionate feather-light kiss on his cheek as the final rays of the setting sun bestowed upon them its celestial glow. One could've saw the faint golden light that surrounded them had they been there, but they were alone in peace. They stayed like that for a bit longer, with their eyes closed. Only did Rapunzel stop at the exact moment that she heard footsteps coming their way.

"Rapunzel! It's time for the festival dear" Catherine informed with a smile as she entered the private garden.

"Wonderful" she beamed "Come on Eugene!"

He laughed and followed her to the main balcony, still mesmerized by the act she had done earlier. Eugene put a palm to his bruised cheek to hide his blushing, and was surprised to find that there was no longer any cut there; although he smiled to himself. Rapunzel truly was magic... to his wound...and to his heart...

They reached the balcony, and Catherine and Leonard first announced the news to everyone. The entire kingdom of Corona cheered for the first time in six years, at last their beloved Princess has returned, and no longer do they have to see the brokenhearted monarchs raise the lanterns every year in hopes of finding their child. Eugene noticed that Rapunzel kept giving him slight, unnoticeable smiles from glances, and he had to order his brain not to just gush out in a squeal or blush when he and Rapunzel raised their lantern after the king and queen's.

Afterwards, Corona danced and celebrated til' midnight. Eugene danced with her, focusing on Rapunzel only as she waltzed gracefully. The Captain of the Guards even let them ride his horse Maximus, and Rapunzel found a baby chameleon scared stiff from a man running after it; she decided to keep it as a palace garden pet and named him Pascal, since she wouldn't take Eugene's suggestion of the name "Frogface".

Then it all ended, and Eugene went home with Felicia and Sophia after such a magically inspiring night. Again, he put his palm to the cheek Rapunzel had kissed, clearly remembering her tender lips and subtle gestures. Eugene sighed and looked out the stars from his window, promising himself that he would always treasure the moments they have shared.

Rapunzel looked out the balcony of her window, looking at the star that Eugene had told her to look at every night if she wanted to see him. Indeed he was there, she could see him clearly. His hazel eyes, his soft lips, and that cute nose of his, all there. Pascal sat there on the balcony railing, he made noises of the chameleon language at Rapunzel.

"Yes, I know Pascal... I should go to sleep, huh?"

Pascal pointed his tail to the bed and she giggled. As Rapunzel was about to walk through, the doors shut by themselves and she turned around to see Gothel floating in mid-air-or at least she thought it was Gothel. It was an elderly woman with hair as white as the moon glowing in the sky above, her skin and face wrinkled, but Rapunzel knew this was Gothel by the revulsion she felt when she locked her eyes with the woman's.

"What do you wan-AHHHHHHHHH!" Rapunzel screeched as Gothel grabbed her. Pascal hung on to Rapunzel's nightgown and clutched her leg to be hidden.

Catherine and Leo woke to her cry, but before they could get out of bed, Gothel cast a Forget Events spell on them, as well as the entire kingdom of Corona to be sure no one would attempt to run after them. She put a cloth over Rapunzel's mouth to muffle her screaming, and put a blindfold over her eyes for extra protection.

Gothel panted as she flew up to her tower, levitation was not an easy skill and she still needed to erase Rapunzel's memories of the day and replace them with new ones of her in the tower and never leaving. Once she was inside, Gothel tied Rapunzel's hands and legs to make sure she wasn't going anywhere as she was putting the Memory Fix and Forget potion in a cup of water for her to drink. Though as she was doing so, Rapunzel managed to get the cloth out of her mouth.

"You imbecile! You wretched woman of lies!" Rapunzel yelled, trying to loosen herself from the cloth.

_Just one more pinch of sugar... And..._

"How _dare_ you do this to me and-!?"

Without second thoughts, Gothel forced Rapunzel's mouth open and made her drink the liquid. Rapunzel swallowed and fell unconscious almost smirked and took off the pieces of cloth she had tied all over the girl. Aftwerwards, she sat on another chair beside Rapunzel and took off the braids, then took a hairbrush and began brushing her precious hair.

_"Flower, gleam and glow... Let your power shine..."_

* * *

**In the morning...**

Rapunzel woke up in her bed, yawning as the sun shone through the blinds of the tower window. Another glorious day for painting and cooking, wonderful. The dream she had last night was surely the most breathtaking and beyond outstanding dream she's ever had in her life! She dreamed of meeting so many animals, smelling the flowers, and seeing the blue sky while she was rolling in grass and having the sun beam down her back, she had to tell her mother about it.

After getting ready, Rapunzel reached for her paintbrushes and paint under her bed; where she surprisingly found a baby green chameleon. "Oh! Hello little fella!" she beamed and reached for the animal. It made a squeaky rumbling noise that sounded like "Good morning" to her.

"Good morning to you too- hmm... Pascal!" Rapunzel smiled. She had no clue how she thought of that name, but it was lovely and cute-sounding anyway.

"Rapunzel!" her mother's voice called from beyond her two wooden doors. Rapunzel was about to bring Pascal out to show her mother, but remembered that Gothel despised animals...

"Stay here okay? I'll bring you something from breakfast" she whispered then hurriedly went out the door.

"Good morning mother!"

_Hmm... Why didn't that sound right...?_ Rapunzel thought peculiarly, but shrugged it off anyway and took a seat at the table. There was fruits, bread, some meat, and water for breakfast. Yum!

"Good morning flower, how did you sleep?" Gothel asked and turned to Rapunzel. At that moment, Rapunzel saw that her mother's image suddenly flicked to an odd unknown woman who only lasted a second before switching back to the mother she knew. Her abnormal and grim-like stare caught Gothel's eye.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked

"Oh, no not at all mother!" Rapunzel perked up, coming back to her senses "I had the most amazing dream last night, I saw all these flowers and animals, and I felt the water beneath my feet and oh-! It was marvelous mother!".

"How lovely my flower! Oh, and here-drink this today my sweetums" Gothel cooed and handed Rapunzel a weaker "Forget Memory" mix that looked much like orange juice.

"Okay" Rapunzel agreed and took the cup from Gothel, drinking it all through breakfast. When she was finished, Rapunzel snatched grapes from the fruit basket and rushed up to her room, pretending to be in a rush to paint. She gave them to Pascal, who happily gobbled them down and turned to a deep shade of purple.

Rapunzel giggled and placed him on her shoulder as she took her paints and brushes.

"Now... Where should we start?" she asked him, looking at a blank wall in her room.

* * *

**Epilogue:**

Rapunzel sighed as she looked over the coffins of her two parents. Her heart broke as she stood next to Eugene. Even after two weeks of their deaths, Rapunzel still couldn't accept the fact they were killed by the ghost of Gothel, who managed to seek her revenge by killing two of the dearest people to her heart. She held her daughter, Lisette close to her, not wanting that damn wretched woman to harm any more of her loved ones.

Eugene put his arm around her shoulder as Rapunzel cried, watching the two gravediggers put the two coffins inside the holes they had dug and put dirt on them. He too, shed a tear for his mother and father-in-laws, as he had grown to love them as well. They returned to the palace afterwards, not wanting to see the graves of the deceased monarchs any longer. Lisette was put to bed shortly after nine, and Eugene went to sleep at eleven, while Rapunzel paced around the palace to try to get her mind off things. Endless pain flowed through her heart, having them be killed in the hands of Gothel like that.

"Gothel should've just been stabbed and bled to death... Not fall out of a tower..." she muttered to herself

"Do not speak like that my child..." whispered a gentle voice behind her.

Rapunzel turned around hesitantly, thinking it was going to be Gothel fooling around with her. But instead, there was her mother...

"Mother?" she asked and let her mother hold her hands. Ohh... her hands were freezing... and her face was so pale...

"My child... Do you remember?"

"Remember...what?".

Catherine put her hand on her daughter's forehead. Rapunzel closed her eyes and saw and heard... everything... From Gothel's bidding, to her thoughts, to her secrets, then on to Rapunzel's own memories. She saw how Gothel stole her, she saw the first lantern festival that started the ongoing tradition, the first time she learned to walk, and then... there was her sixth birthday...

It was all so different in the memory she's seeing at the moment though...Her _real_ mother was there, Eugene was there, her father was there, Pascal... Maximus... They were all there...

The one she had in mind before was when Gothel got her new paints and brushes along with a doll, and then made hazelnut soup for dinner... That was it... End of story... There was no hundreds of people cheering and dancing, there was no dancing with Eugene, there was no wretched ambassador that tried to steal Catherine away from her father, and... there was no cheek kiss with Eugene...

What?!

"Mother... What are these memories I am seeing?" she asked "I don't remember any of this..."

"That was because Gothel erased everyone's memory of it... Especially yours, ours, and Eugene's... She stole you the night of your return".

"B-but... Can I ever retrieve these memories back?" Rapunzel asked, not wanting to forget the day she returned.

"You already have them... You won them in return of killing Gothel, Rapunzel" Catherine whispered and kissed her daughter's forehead "I'm very proud of you" she took a step back and there appeared her father.

"We both are"

"Take care of Lisette, Rapunzel. A wise and kind girl she is, like you and adventurous as well as loyal like Eugene." Leonard spoke and embraced her.

"We couldn't be happier to have gotten a daughter such as you" Catherine finished.

Felicia appeared next, even William joined along...

"I thought... William... I thought you hated my parents..." Rapunzel whispered

"No, not anymore. I understand now... I learned my lesson, I should've known that Leo here loved Cat more than I ever would've." William smiled and patted his brother's shoulder.

"Oh, and Rapunzel, care to say hello for Eugene, Lisette, and Sophia for me?"

"I will" Rapunzel said in tears.

"Oh and tell him that Eugene Fitzherbert is way more amazing than Flynn Rider could ever be" Felicia added before they had a group embrace.

"We love you Rapunzel" their faint voices whispered as Rapunzel closed her eyes.

"I love you all too" she sobbed then opened her eyes to see that she was embracing cold air. For a moment, she just stood there, remembering all the events that happened that day. Good outweighing the bad that was Mother Gothel. The first kiss she shared with Eugene- even if it was just a cheek kiss... Then the dances, meeting her mother and father and actually reuniting with them... Silly Felicia and her remarks...

Rapunzel smiled at it all, remembering where the spirits of her loved ones stood before disappearing into thin air. She wiped away her tears and just smiled...

Her heart brimming with joy, replacing the depression inside.

She went to bed and woke Eugene, telling him all about the night's events until the sun began to rise.

"I remember now...

"I'm glad you do" Rapunzel said as she watched Lisette enter the room with a smile on her face. A smile that could brighten even the darkest of nights, and soften the hardest of hearts...

"Good Morning Mommy! Good Morning Daddy! Do you know what it is today?!" she beamed

"Mhhm..."

"Yes...?" Lisette kept grinning with glee.

"Your lucky sixth birthday" they both said with a smile.

"YES!" she squealed and hugged them both. Rapunzel and Eugene shared a smile as they watched the sun rise from the horizons, ending one night, to start another day.

**The End**

* * *

**Woo! I actually finished this! **

**Thanks for your reviews/favorites/follows/and views once more, without them I probably would've**

**just dropped out like I did with my last one...**

**But not this time. This was for you :)**

**Updated today because I had some freetime.**


	16. Chapter 16: One More Thing

**Dear Readers,**

**If I am to write a sequel to this, and how it describes Gothel and things after her death, I may need some ideas :) **

**Guest reviews and normal reviews are all welcome for suggestions on what to do! I might use the ideas with the credit to the writer of course. Reviews are **

**inspirations ;) **

**_If_ there is to be a sequel, the time I post it would be like a few weeks from so or now, depending if I decide to continue or not. **

**Thanks! **

**-StaryDreams**


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